Greg Laurie - How to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Anxiety (08/09/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches from Matthew 6 on overcoming worry, fear, and anxiety by seeking first God's kingdom and righteousness. Jesus reminds us not to be anxious about life’s basics since our heavenly Father cares for us far more than birds or flowers. The key is putting God first in everything, trusting Him to provide all we need.
Opening Prayer and Introduction to the Message
Father, we are so thankful because of the cross, because of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in our place, that we can speak to you now as Father. And our Father, who is in heaven, is in control of our lives. Because there's a lot of things, Lord, as you know, that stress us out, that cause anxiety, that cause fear, and that cause worry. So now as we look at the words of Jesus and how to deal with our worry, would you speak to us and help us to walk out of here with greater trust in you? We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
You can be seated. Well, hello, everybody. Let's grab our Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 6. And the title of my message today is Hurry, Worry, Buried. Subtitle, How to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Anxiety.
Yeah, I want to mention that next Sunday I'm going to be speaking on the non-believer's favorite verse. Guess what it is. No, it's not John 3:16. No, the non-believer's favorite verse is found in Matthew chapter 7. And the verse is, Judge not, lest you be judged. They love to quote that, don't they? Usually when you're making them a little bit uncomfortable, and they'll come back with that verse. So let's find out what that verse actually means in its original context. Are we as Christians to make judgments? And if so, how do we judge? What are we to judge? What are we not to judge? Find out more in our next time here.
The Reality of Worry in Everyday Life
But we're looking at the topic of dealing with our fear, worry, and anxiety. You know, when I was in Australia a number of years ago for one of our crusades, I noticed they have an expression there I really like. Like, you'll be talking to an Aussie, that's what they call themselves, and ask them a question, and they'll say, that's not a knife, this is a knife. No, that's Crocodile Dundee, sorry. No, you'll say, ask for, you know, hey, how do I get to this place? Or whatever you need, they'll answer you. They're very friendly. And then they'll usually say this, no worries, mate. Right, you go right on over there, and hey, no worries, mate. Right? I like that. That's good theologically. No worries, mate. And it's theologically sound. Because we do have a lot of worries, don't we?
A lot of things that weigh us down. A lot of things that concern us. A lot of things that cause us anxiety. We worry about what we're going to eat. We worry about what we're going to wear. We worry about where we're going to live. We worry about our employment. We worry about our family. We worry about just about everything. We worry when things are going good because we are concerned when they are going to go bad. And then when they are bad we worry about if they will ever be good again.
How many of you would classify yourself as a worry wart? Raise your hand up. Okay. How many of you don't really have a big problem with worry? Raise your hand up. You will by the time I am done preaching. No I am kidding.
I think of that great theologian Charlie Brown who made that statement about worry quote, I have developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time. End quote. Or that other great theologian, Alfred E. Newman. Remember him from the cover of Mad Magazine. What was his slogan? What? Me worry?
So let me quote now a real theologian, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, who said this quote, The result of worrying about the future is that you cripple yourself in the present. End quote.
World Events and Personal Concerns That Fuel Worry
No. But yet there are so many things happening in our world today that can cause us to worry. The war on terrorism is far from over. It rages on. We have a terrorist army. The likes of which we have never seen before that call themselves Isis. We have this new disease in our country that wasn't supposed to spread called Ebola. We have rogue nations like North Korea and Iran arming themselves with nuclear capabilities. And then there's our economy that isn't as strong as it could be.
And then there are personal problems. There's problems at your job. Problems with your family. Problems with your health. Life is just filled with so many worries. And there's a lot of things that do concern us.
Studies have been done among Americans and they've asked them what they worry about the most. And it's a predictable thing. But middle-aged Americans worry most about their finances. They also worry about being audited by the IRS. Maybe there's a connection there. A growing concern today among many is a fear of being hacked. That someone would get your personal credit card information or that your smartphone or computer would be stolen.
And then there was an article that was out a while back about a bunch of celebrities that were upset because their smartphones have been hacked. And now photos of these people are on the Internet. And they're naked. And I have a thought about that. Don't take pictures of yourself naked. Ever. And that pretty much solves it for good, right?
But among the studies that have been done and people are asked what they worry about the most, usually at the top of the list is my appearance. That's amazing. Hey, I don't care if I lose my house or I die in a nuclear blast. How do I look in this outfit? Or for some, how do I look without an outfit?
Usually on the list of fears or worries is the fear of speaking publicly. In fact, the fear of speaking publicly is usually higher than the fear of dying. Can you imagine that? Okay, you can die right now or give a short speech. Kill me.
How many of you have a fear of public speaking? Raise your hand if you have a fear. Okay, could you come up here right now? No, seriously, would you? I wouldn't do that. She's like...
The Dangers and Futility of Worry
There's an old fable that's told about the dangers of worry. As the story goes, death was walking toward a city one morning. And a man stopped death and said, Where are you going? Death said, I'm going into that city to take a hundred people. That's horrible, the man said. Hey, death responds. That's what I do.
So the man ran ahead of death to warn everyone he could. So evening fell and that man met death again. And the man said, I thought you were only going to take a hundred people. Why did a thousand people die? Death responded, I kept my word. I took only a hundred people. Worry took the rest.
That's how life can be. Worry can get us. Did you know that 75% to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are stress-related complaints or disorders?
Know this. Most of what we worry about never actually happens. Dr. Walter Cavert reported a survey on worry that indicated only 8% of the things people worried about were legitimate matters of concern. And the other 92% were either imaginary or never happened.
So here's the question. How can we overcome fear and worry? Well, the Bible has something to say about this. And Christ Himself addresses this topic here in the Sermon on the Mount.
Now, we're in a series that we're calling God Came Near. It's a chronological look at the life of Christ from all four Gospels. But we've sort of parked our Bible bus, as J. Vernon McGee would call it, temporarily in the parking lot of the Sermon on the Mount just to take in these amazing teachings from our Lord. And we've seen what Christ has to say about a lot of topics. And now we'll see what He has to say about worry.
Jesus' Teaching in Matthew 6:25-33
Matthew chapter 6, verse 25, Jesus says, Therefore I say to you, Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body, what you'll put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than them? Which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I say that Solomon, in all of his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not clothe you, O you, of little faith? Therefore, do not worry. Saying, what shall we eat? What shall we drink? Or what are we going to wear? For after these things that Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need these things.
And here's the most important verse. In fact, I'd like us all to read it together. Matthew 6:33. Let's read it. But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Every believer should commit that verse, in particular, to memory.
Point 1 – The Believer Should Not Worry
Point number one. The believer should not worry. Now Jesus is not saying that the believer should not be concerned about the necessities of life. He's not saying that we should not think about them, or plan for the future. The Bible encourages us to work hard, to save our money, and so forth. But what He is saying is that we should not worry about these things.
Verse 25. Do not worry about your life. Another translation could go as follows. Don't have anxiety about the issues of life. The word that is used here indicates something that divides, separates, or distracts us. Actually, the word worry, from the old English word, means to choke. It chokes you out.
You know, the other day, I was playing with some of my grandkids, and they started choking me. They thought that was very entertaining. And then they kind of took it up a few notches, and then they're jumping on my back and grabbing me from behind. And I said, Okay, kids, let's back off a little bit. You're hurting, Papa. And so they came back a few days later, and one of them asked, Can we choke you again, Papa? You know. Great form of entertainment. Choking your grandfather.
That's what worry does to us. It chokes us. It cuts us off. In the Greek, this command of Christ to not be anxious includes the idea of stopping what has already been done. Effectively, Jesus is saying, Stop worrying about your life. Stop it. But you've been doing it up to this point, and you need to stop doing it.
But interestingly, we sort of elevate worry as a virtue. Well, because I care, I worry. Wait a second. Is worry a virtue? I don't think it is at all. In fact, I think worry can be a sin. I'm not saying all worry is a sin, but I'm saying it can be a sin, and I will readily admit it's a sin. I've committed. I have worried about things unnecessarily. I've fretted and been filled with anxiety, just like you've been.
And why is it a sin, potentially? Because it's a lack of trust in God. I'm really saying, well, God isn't in control. God is not taking care of me in this situation. I'm not trusting in the Providence of God.
If you're a real Christian and you believe the Bible, you will know this. God is in control of all circumstances that surround your life, and there are no accidents in the life of the Christian. That's an important thing to know.
But yet, we'll worry about a lot of things in life. And here's the problem with worry. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. Worry is interest paid on trouble before it's due.
I mean, here's an illustration of a guy who could have worried but did not. His name was Daniel. Daniel the prophet. Remember him? And you all know the story of how he was thrown into the lion's den, so I won't go into it. But his enemies hatched a plot to have him killed because they wanted him out of the way. They were jealous of his power and influence with the king.
So the king unwittingly signed into law a decree that no man could pray to any god but the true God. And because Daniel was a man of prayer, he ends up in a den of lions. So he's gonna die, no question about it.
By the way, I just read an article in the paper about a man in a Russian zoo. I guess he thought he was some kind of a modern Daniel. He decided to climb into the den of the lioness in the Kiev Zoo. And he screamed out, God will save me if he exists. Well, God exists. But he didn't save this crazy guy. And the lion killed him immediately. There's a difference between trusting the Lord and testing the Lord.
Daniel was not testing the Lord. He was put into a lion's den because of his faithfulness to God. And what's fascinating about this story is the king himself could not reverse the law. He ignorantly set into place, yet that king spent the night worrying, and Daniel spent the night sleeping like a baby. The guy in the lion's den had a good night's sleep. The guy in the palace did not.
And that's how it is. When you're walking right with God, you can just kick back and rest in him. The Bible even says he gives his beloved sleep. And I bet he used one of those lions as a pillow. I'm sure a lion would be really comfortable to lay on if it wasn't all that hungry in the moment.
And the Bible tells us we should cast all of our care upon him for he cares for us. That's 1 Peter 5:7. And the word that is used there for care is the same used here in the Sermon on the Mount. And the idea of casting is throw something. It'd be like you're carrying a bunch of extra weight. Maybe you just got off the plane and you had a lot of carry-on stuff. You had your backpack and you're schlepping along your roller bag and you have another briefcase or whatever. And a friend says, hey man, let me take that load. Gladly, thank you, buddy. And he takes that load off of you.
That's what this is saying. Take your worries and throw them on God. Throw them on Christ. I like what Martin Luther said. He said, quote, pray and let God worry. See, God's not gonna worry, so pray. And that's really the secret.
In Philippians it says, don't worry about anything, but pray about everything and the peace of God that passes all human understanding will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
So turn your worries into prayers. The next time you're gripped with fear and worry, what if this happens? What if that happens? Turn it into a prayer. Boom, straight to heaven. Lord, I don't know, but I trust you. And you're in control. And I commit this to you right now.
And so we need to be looking to the Lord in this way and letting Him give us His peace.
Jesus Points to God's Care in Creation
And look, Jesus says, check out the birds and check out the flowers. So here's Christ giving the Sermon on the Mount. Where did He give it? He gave it in the region of Galilee there. So all around Him were birds chirping away and beautiful wildflowers growing. So He draws on the background to make His point.
In verse 26, He says, Look at the birds. In other words, look at what's in front of your eyes. Have you ever seen a stressed out bird? And birds wake up every morning. They're just singing away. They're just happy. You know, and no bird has ever been promised eternal life. No bird has ever been given the hope of heaven. Yet they sing away every day.
Now, Jesus is not saying the birds sit by idly and wait for the food to come to them. No, they take action. We have a little bird feeder in our backyard that I bought. And I fill it with bird seed. And those birds know there's going to be breakfast there. And they cruise in and they're eating the seed.
And then there are those little hummingbirds. Now, I love those birds. Don't ever give a hummingbird coffee. What would happen? You know, they're just so full of energy, you know. And beautiful little creature. But they know the food is there. They have to go get the food for themselves. They get the seeds off the ground or the vegetation or hang out at McDonald's or in an At-Burger and wait for the first Friday to hit the ground. That's how they're going to do it.
And of course, then there's the seagulls, which I've denigrated on a regular basis. I may be denigrating seagulls now even more than cats. But I've not received any letters from seagull lovers. There's probably some out there. But seagulls, you know, they're thieves. They steal your food. And I've said this many times.
Yet I went to the beach the other day with my wife and my son Jonathan and his wife Brittany and three of her grandchildren, Riley, Allie, and little Christopher. And on the way down, I bought a fish burrito. And I had it in a bag and I left it there and we went walking down the beach and I came back and the seagulls were attacking our camp. I thought, I can't believe it. I left a fish burrito for them and I was so mad I was cursing the seagulls. I wasn't using profanity. More like a kind of a biblical curse in a way on them. Um, um, why did I leave this burrito? And, and then I was adjusting my towel and, oh, there's the burrito. So they hadn't taken it at all. So I had falsely charged the seagulls. I denigrated them and we hugged it out. It's very awkward hugging seagulls. They're not all that affectionate. Plus they know what I've been saying about them for years.
So, so there's the birds. The birds don't get stressed out. Well, the birds have their food.
The Beauty of Flowers and Solomon's Glory
And then there's flowers, Jesus says. Verse 28 and 29. Why do you worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field. How they grow. They neither toil nor spin. And by the way, when Jesus talked about the lilies, He wasn't speaking of what we might call an Easter Lily. It was more like the wild flowers of Galilee. Just those beautiful flowers. And you'll see them here in California as well. But they're especially pretty there in the Galilee region. Just growing.
And Jesus is saying, Hey, even Solomon, the king, in his royal robes, was not dressed like one of these beautiful flowers. So really now, He's talking about the way that you look. Your appearance. And yet, we have a culture that's so obsessed with the way that they look. We're always wanting to look better, change our bodies. We want to look like those people on the magazine covers.
The problem is the people on the magazine covers don't even look like the people on the magazine covers. You ever heard of Photoshop and airbrushing? The things they do to these people. Those people you see on the covers many times don't even exist in real life.
But yet, with cosmetic surgery today, you can almost become anyone. I read an article with a title, Beauty Junkies, Examining a Society Obsessed with Appearance. The article says, and I quote, Feel cheated in the looks department with enough money you can nip and tuck your way to a whole new you. You can redo your teeth, plump your lips, reshape your nose, reduce your thighs. Medicine allows us to enhance cheekbones, shorten toes, to fit into designer stilettos. I'd never heard about that before. And prove a chin, increase breast size, and freeze the forehead so wrinkles no longer appear there. End quote.
By the way, I've tried all of this. It doesn't work that well. I'm kidding. Okay.
But you know, you look at these famous people, the beautiful people. You say, If only I could be like one of them. Really? Careful what you wish for. I just read an interview that Jennifer Lopez did. She has a new book out. I think it's called True Love. And in the article, it says, Jennifer Lopez finally admits her diva ways and enormous entourage could have hurt her famous romances. The singer blamed the failure of her relationships with Ben Affleck and husband Mark Anthony partly on her omnipresent army of handlers of hair and makeup stylists. J-Lo travels with her manager, a cadre of stylists and handlers, as well as her trainers. And she admits now she's in therapy trying to find answers.
Hey, Jenny from the block. You don't need a therapist. You need Jesus Christ. He has the answers you're looking for.
It's a good thing to want to look your best on the outside. But don't neglect your soul. You know, you can have a chiseled body and a dying soul. And the Bible even addresses that, really addressing women. 1 Peter 3, this is so relevant for today. He says, what matters is not your outward appearance, the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes. It's your inner disposition. So cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.
But there is a place for staying in shape because I don't want you to misunderstand me and say, yeah, it doesn't matter. Just let yourself go. I want to be obese for God. No. You are going too far the other way. I exercise regularly. I am up to a hundred crunches a day. Pretty good. Nestle's crunches. You should try them. Very good.
You know, it is funny. There are people that will break all the rules and live long lives. And then people that will be so careful about their diet and their exercise regimen and so forth and they will die on the tennis court or die in a jog and then there is that guy or that girl that never cared at all and they will live these long lives.
And here is what Jesus is saying. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Here would be a better translation of that and what it really means. Who of you by worrying can add one day to your life? See, God determines the date of your birth and the date of your death. You have everything to say about that little dash in the middle and what you do with it but you cannot lengthen your life. Only God determines how long a man or a woman will live.
I watched a show on TV years ago about a guy that had made it past a hundred and they saved it for the end of the program. You know, they keep teasing you with that one piece you want to see and it's at the very end. Men who live past a hundred years old reveals a secret. I thought, I want to know a secret. So I waited at the end of this program and the guy's secret, how he got past a hundred, he ate a hot dog every day. Absolute truth. Took him into the supermarket, showed him the hot dogs he bought. They weren't even the, they weren't Hebrew national. They were the cheap kind. You know, with rat tails in them. Those. The ones that taste really good.
There is a balance here. 1 Timothy 4:8 says physical exercise has some value but spiritual exercise is much more important. It promises a reward in this life and the next. This is true and everyone should accept it.
Point 2 – Worry Doesn't Make Life Longer, It Makes It Miserable
Alright, now, number two. Worry doesn't make your life longer. It just makes it more miserable. I already mentioned that this phrase means stature. Who of you can add one cubit to a stature means you cannot lengthen your life.
Psalm 90 says we spend our days and our lives like a tale that's told. So Lord, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Point 3 – Seek First the Kingdom of God
Next point and probably the most important point because here now Jesus gives us the secret to living a worry-free life. Instead of worry, put God and His will first in your life. Instead of worrying, put God and His will first in your life.
Again, verse 33. But seek first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. What does that mean? The Greek word translated first means first in a line of more than one option. Options, rather.
You see, there are many options I can seek to live for in life. I can live for my physical appearance. I can live for a successful career. I can live for having pleasures. I can live for a lot of things. But here is what Jesus is saying. In a number of options, put God in the number one position. Seek first the kingdom of God.
If you want a life free of worry and anxiety and fear, put God's kingdom before everything else. Seek it first.
You say, well, what does that mean? Okay, let's take your career. The business that you happen to be in. Ask yourself this question. Is this career choice, this line of work that I am doing really for God's glory? In other words, am I seeking God first in what I am doing?
You say, well, Greg, you are a pastor. I mean, that is your job. It is easy for you to seek God first. But you see, my job is different than yours. And I work in the real world with real people. Okay, I understand what you are saying. But here is what your goal should be. To honor God in everything that you do and I don't care what you do. And if you can't honor God in what you do, get a new job.
And here is what you have to ask yourself. As I am doing this thing, what is my goal? If your goal is merely to make money no matter what it takes, you have got the wrong goal, friend. Your goal should be to honor God, give honest work, and have personal integrity and a good testimony in the workplace.
I know Christians who have been successful in business but have a bad reputation because they cut corners or don't do the job right. And when the day is done, you want to have a good name and a good reputation. Proverbs 22 says, choose a good reputation over great riches for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold.
Now here is how it works. There are people in life that do cut corners. There are people in life that cheat on the test and pass the exam when you want to study harder. There are people in life that lie on their resume and get the position you were hoping to give. There are people in life that flatter the boss and move up that ladder a little more quickly than you do. There are people in life that do it the wrong way and you say, you see it doesn't work.
Now just hold on, buckaroo. Because I am going to tell you something. And this is based on Scripture. If you live a godly life, and you live an honest life, and you have integrity, and you work hard, God's going to bless you for it. Now, there will be times when others seem to be doing better than you, but just wait a while and see how it plays out. Because the Bible says a person will reap what they sow.
A little bit like the tortoise and the hare, you know. You are the tortoise. You know, just doing your thing. Walking with the Lord. Doing it the right way. An honest day's work for an honest day's pay. And then in time, you get that other position. And you are elevated.
I am not saying this will always happen, but my point is simply this. God will honor it. You seek Him first. He will take care of you.
Seeking God First in Relationships and Decisions
Let's say you are a single person. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness as a single. You say, Well, I don't understand what you are saying. It means that you want God to provide that right person for you. You don't want to rush out and just grab someone and end up making the wrong choice. Nor do you want to engage in missionary dating. You know what that is? That is a Christian going out with a non-believer. And that doesn't usually end all that well. Because it is far easier for them to pull you back than it is for you to pull them forward.
Or, well, I could tell you stories of so many girls especially, but even guys who have gotten involved with non-believers and how it has resulted in ruin in their spiritual life.
You say, Well, I will just make sure he is a Christian. But understand, people will lie to you. You know, maybe some guy asks you out and you are a nice Christian girl. And you say, Well, let me ask you a question. Are you a Christian? And the guy says, Well, why do you ask? Well, because you respond. I will only go out with a Christian. Oh. Well, praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Even the way he says it is kind of creepy. It is like...
Hey, don't just look for a guy or a girl that says they are a Christian. Look for a man or a woman of God. Let me take it a step further. Look for someone that is more spiritual than you are. You will know it from the way that they live.
Put God first. You know, the Bible tells a great story of how the Lord brought a bride for Isaac. His father Abraham sent out his servant Eleazar to find this beautiful woman to bring back to Isaac. And Isaac is out in a field praying and waiting on God. And that woman is brought into his life.
I am not saying you should just stand in the field and wait for your wife to show up. Or your husband. But my point was, you see, Isaac was seeking God first and in the Lord's time and he brought that right girl.
Listen, that girl God has chosen for you. You may already know her. She may already be a friend. She may be at your work. She may be sitting next to you in the pew and you haven't been introduced yet. And I'm going to introduce you right now. Say no.
Quick poll. How many of you are single? Raise your hand up. You are single. You are not married. Keep your hand up. Keep it up. No, hold it up. Keep it up. Now look around. No, seriously. The best place to find that person is in church. Right? But don't be hitting on people at church though. How's it going? How about a little hug? No, no.
Seek first the kingdom of God. He'll provide that for you.
Listen to this. When you seek God and His kingdom first, life will find its proper perspective. Verse 33. All these things shall be added to you. What things? What did Jesus talk about? What I'm going to eat? What I'm going to wear? We could expand that. Where I'm going to live? Where I'm going to work? What I'm going to drive? What I'm going to do? God is saying, I'll take care of all those things if you'll seek me first.
The Context of Treasures in Heaven
You know, the Lord came to Solomon, who was to replace his father as the king of Israel. His dad had died. And the Lord came to this young boy and said, I'll give you whatever you want. Ask it and I'll give it. Wow. Can you imagine? What would you do if God came to you tonight and said, I'll give you whatever you want. Whatever you want. You want riches? I'll give you riches. You want fame? I'll give you fame. What is it you want?
It's like those genie stories we always hear. Right? There's a guy walking down the beach and he saw something in the sand. He reached down to pick it up. He rubbed the sand up. Jeannie appears, of course. And the Jeannie says, Oh Master, I will Grant you one wish. The guy says, One wish? What happened to three wishes? Jeannie said, You know, the whole economy thing. It is hard. Had to cut back. Downsizing. Oh. One wish.
The guy thinks about it and says, You know, I have always wanted to see Hawaii. But the problem is I have a fear of flying and being on boats makes me nauseous. So I want to see Hawaii. So what I want you to do, Jeannie, is I want you to give me a bridge from California to Hawaii. Jeannie looks at him, Are you like crazy? Do you know how much work that would be? What the cost of that would be? Getting those pilings that would hold up the bridge down to the depths of the ocean? There is no way. Come up with another wish.
The guy said, Well, all right. Okay, here is my wish, Jeannie. I have always wanted to understand women. Jeannie pauses for a moment and says, That bridge, is it two lanes or four?
No, but coming back to Solomon. How many of you have heard that joke? Raise your hand. How many have... Wow. Whoa. How many of you have never heard the joke? Raise your hand. Very small minority. No, there's more than a few. All right. Sorry.
God says, I'll give you anything you want, Solomon. Solomon says, I want wisdom to rule your people. Lord says, That's good. I'll tell you what, buddy. I'm going to give you the wisdom you asked for. And because you didn't ask for it, I'm going to give you a long life and riches as well.
See, he demonstrated what it meant to seek first the kingdom. He didn't seek that stuff. He sought God. God says, You know what? I'm going to bless you for that. And really, Jesus is dealing with that very topic here in context in Matthew 6.
Notice that our verses that we read together started with the word therefore. Therefore I say to you, do not worry. Whenever you read the word therefore in the Bible, find out what it's there for. It means he's drawing upon what has been previously said.
What did Jesus say prior to the verses we read? We go back to Matthew 6. Look at verse 19. Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Jesus is not saying it's wrong for you to have stuff. Effectively he's saying it's wrong when stuff has you. In fact, it's interesting because this phrase, lay something up, don't lay up for yourselves, means to lay something horizontally as in storing it permanently. He's talking not about the man who is saving, but the man who is stockpiling. He's talking not to the woman who merely has possessions for possession's sake, but they have them to flaunt.
You know, some people love to flaunt their stuff, don't they? They tell you what they paid for everything. When you didn't even ask. Hey, you know what I paid for this? Hey, you know how much that cost? I own this and I own that and I own... Why do you do that? You want to impress people? Jesus says, don't do that. Don't lay up treasures in that way, but seek first the kingdom.
Giving and Trusting God with Finances
Listen to this. Many believers struggle financially today because they have not learned the simple principle of seeking first the kingdom in their giving. The Bible tells us as Christians that we are to bring our tithes and our offerings to the Lord. By the way, those are two separate things. Every Christian should tithe. You say, what is a tithe? A tithe is 10%. You bring your income to the Lord and give it to Him on a regular basis and an offering is above and beyond that.
We say, well, I can't afford to do that. As far as I'm concerned, I can't afford not to. And I found that when I am faithful in my giving to the Lord, He blesses me because I'm seeking first His kingdom. And that's exactly the context of this statement.
In fact, over in Proverbs 3, we read God saying, Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of your produce. That's seeking first the kingdom. From the first, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.
God's saying, you take care of this. You put me first in all things and I'll take care of you.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9, if you sow sparingly, you'll reap sparingly. If you sow generously, you'll reap generously. Put God first.
Jesus says, give and it shall be given to you, pressed down, shaken together, running over with the same measure you give, it will be given back to you.
Hey, there's only one time in the Bible God says, test me on this. Put me to the test on this. And it's in the last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi. And God says, bring the tithes into my storehouse, says the Lord. And watch if I will not open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you won't have room enough to receive it.
Oh Greg, I think you're saying that we should give to get. No, not at all. You're misunderstanding. Because I've received, I should give. Freely you have received, freely give. So this is not giving to obligate God. This is giving because God has done so much for me. And when I do this, I lay up for myself a treasure in heaven.
Listen, do your giving while you're living. Then you're knowing where it's going. You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead. Because you know what? There is an afterlife. There is a heaven. Yes, there is a hell too.
And a lot of us just spin our wheels in life. And you could write this on our tombstone. Hurry. Worry. Buried. We spend our whole life running. Chasing maybe after a dream. We never even realized. We are the only nation in the world with a mountain called Rushmore. And that's why we're so agitated and stressed out.
Instead of channeling your energies into chasing nothingness, why don't you instead chase after God and seek God and put God first and you watch how he'll change your circumstances. He will.
Your family is starting to unravel. You're having friction with your wife or your husband. Kids are rebelling. All kinds of troubles. Have you put God first? Have you started praying about that? Have you been a godly man, a godly husband, a godly wife? Put the Lord first and watch what happens. Same with your single life. Same with your business. Same with everything that you do. Same with your finances. You watch how the Lord will bless.
So many people just throw their lives away. I read an article yesterday about Billy Joel. Remember him? He's 65 now. Billy sort of had a resurgence of his career in New York City. He's doing monthly concerts at the Madison Square Garden. They're all sold out in advance. And he's making $2 million per performance. Billy sold 150 million albums. He's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. He was a recipient at the Kennedy Center's Honors.
But in this article, Billy Joel says, he's always felt like he was a failure because he never had love. He said, you know, you just need one love, one person out of millions to know and accept and love you for being well, just the way you are. Don't go changing. Remember that song? Some new fashion. Stop. Don't change the color of your hair.
He's had three tortured marriages. I love you just the way you are. No, okay, I'm stopping. Three tortured marriages. And here's his conclusion. And when I read the conclusion that Billy Joel came to, it sounds like something Solomon said. Here's his conclusion. He says, you can have all the money in the world. You can have mansions. You can have properties. You can have yachts. You can have limousines. And you can have motorcycles. But without love, it doesn't mean a thing. End quote.
I'll take it a step further for you, Billy. Without Jesus, it doesn't mean a thing. That's what he needs. That's what we need. It's Jesus we need. Because then we have hope in this life and the life to come.
Put God first. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And all of these things will be added unto you. And you'll be able to say with the Apostle Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
See, if you say for me to live is money, then for you to die is to leave it all behind. Because you are going to leave it all behind. If you say for me to live is fame, then for you to die is to be forgotten. If you say for me to live is power, then for you to die is to lose it all. But if you will say for me to live is Christ, then to die is gain.
Now understand, Christians don't walk around hoping they'll die. Hope I die today. That would be so awesome. Some may, but they're weird. We love life. I think we love life more than anyone. But we know who controls life. And we know who gives life. We know who takes life. And we just leave that in God's hands.
You know, if I live 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, that's up to the Lord. But I'm going to enjoy this day. And I'm going to put God first in all that I say and do. And seek to honor Him. And when that day comes or He calls me home, I'm going straight to heaven. Because I've put my faith in Jesus Christ. That's the hope of the Christian.
Invitation to Receive Christ
And I ask you now, do you have that hope? Do you know with absolute certainty that if you were to die, you would go to heaven? And if you don't, let's get that settled right now.
There has to come a moment in every man's life, every woman's life, where they say, God, I'm sorry for my sin. And I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for me. And shed His blood for me. And I believe He rose again from the dead. And now I want Jesus Christ to live in my heart and life as my Savior and Lord. And I want to follow Him.
It's not just some little prayer you pray and just go on your merry way in life and forget about God and then reconnect with Him later on. No. This is a whole change of life. But at the same time, it's a relationship with Him. Do you have it?
Jesus says He stands at the door and He knocks. And if we'll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in. He can come into your life right now. He's just a prayer away.
In a moment, we're going to bow our heads and pray. And I'm going to give you an opportunity to get right with God. So if you want Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and your Lord, respond to this invitation as we pray now.
Let's all bow our heads, if you would, please. Father, we've heard Your Word. We know it's true. And now I pray for those that don't know You. Those that are here. Those that are watching, listening. Lord, help them see their need for Jesus Christ and help them to come to You. We pray.
Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying. How many of you would say today, Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know with certainty that when I die, I will go to heaven. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus right now.
If that's your desire, wherever you are, I want you to lift your hand up. And I'm going to pray for you. You want Christ to come into your life. Raise your hand up. I'll pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. Even if I can't see you. You're watching the screen. That's fine. God sees you. Just raise your hand up. A little step of faith. Yes, I want God in my life. Wherever you are, let me pray for you. This can be the moment where your life changes. Anybody else? God bless you.
Now I'm going to ask every one of you that have raised your hand, if you would please, to stand to your feet and I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment to Christ. Again, if you raised your hand, just stand up. Even if you didn't raise your hand, you want Jesus Christ to come into your life. You want to go to heaven when you die. You want your sin forgiven today. Stand up. Let me lead you in this prayer. Wherever you are, just stand to your feet. God bless you that are standing. You're not the only one, by the way. Stand up. God bless you. Maybe you are watching the screen somewhere. Stand up right where you are. I am going to lead you in this same prayer. This is between you and God.
One more moment. You want to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ. Stand to your feet if you would please. God bless you. God bless all of you that are standing.
And as I pray this prayer, I want you to pray it out loud after me. This is where you are asking God to forgive you of your sin and you are committing your life to Jesus. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Pray this now.
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I know that you are a Savior. And I know you love me. And I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Be my God and my friend. Be my Savior and my Lord. Thank you for calling me and accepting me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen.
God bless all of you that prayed that prayer. Praise the Lord. God bless you. And we have a gift for you. It looks like this. It's called the Start Bible. It's a New Testament with some notes that I wrote that will tell you more about what it means to be a Christian.
Now, all of you that just prayed that prayer, I want you to turn your attention for a moment to the corner there. You see an arrow there on a sign that looks just like the Bible. That's where we want you to go. I want all of you that just prayed that prayer with me to get up out of your seat and go over to this room in the corner. And we are going to give you this Bible and talk with you about what it means to be a Christian.
So, we are not done yet. We have a few more moments of worship here. And some closing announcements. So, all of you that prayed that prayer, get up out of your seat. Go on over to the room there in the corner. That's right. You guys that are outside, come around the back of the sanctuary. Go into the room and join these folks that are there. And let us encourage you in this commitment you have made to follow Jesus Christ. God bless all of you.
Closing Prayer for Tithes and Offerings
All right. We are going to receive our morning tithes and offerings. Let's pray now. Father, we have heard what your word says. Jesus, you made an amazing promise there. If we will seek you first in your righteousness, all these things will be added to you. Lord, we want to honor you with the first fruits, so to speak, of our harvest. We will bring our tithe. We will bring our offering. And we will ask you to bless it and multiply it and use it to touch other lives so they can hear the same gospel that changed our life. And we know when we do this, Lord, we have a treasure in heaven. This is a privilege. This is an opportunity. So use these gifts now, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.